The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DECLARES WAR ON STATE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H21 on Jan. 9, 2018.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DECLARES WAR ON STATE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, Friday, the Trump administration declared war on State legalization of marijuana as they come out on the wrong side of history and the American public.
The Obama administration recognized that the vast voter-driven movement to legalize marijuana at the State level was something that couldn't be stopped and, in fact, that the Federal Government shouldn't interfere. Their Justice Department issued guidance, known as the Cole amendment, that, as long as these voter-approved State legalization efforts were enforced rigorously and thoughtfully, the Federal Government wouldn't interfere with what the voters wanted.
Friday, Sessions and the Trump administration overruled that guidance and declared open war on the part of 93 U.S. attorneys to feel free to interfere with what local voters have decided.
This is strongly opposed by the American public. Over 60 percent in poll after poll show that Americans favor legalization of marijuana. When it deals with medical marijuana, that percentage is over 90 percent. We have seen State after State, approve medical marijuana including Florida, with a 71 percent ``yes'' vote in November of 2016.
If the question is, regardless of how you feel about marijuana, should the Federal Government interfere with what the voters have decided, three out of four voters say the Federal Government should keep their hands off it.
Luckily, at least as far as medical marijuana is concerned, they are protected from interference by the Justice Department because of the amendment that I have authored with my friend Dana Rohrabacher. It is in the continuing resolution. It needs to be in any long-term funding bill. In fact, we should embrace an amendment by our colleague Tom McClintock from California, that would expand those protections to any State legal marijuana activity.
The Justice Department is not just on the wrong side of history and the American public, they are missing a chance to cure the damage caused by selective and cruel enforcement of marijuana laws. We are still arresting tens of thousands--mostly young men of color, especially African-American men--for something the majority of Americans now think should be legal.
We miss a chance to win the war against opioid death and addiction. In States that have medical marijuana--surprise--there are fewer pills prescribed. The longer the States have had medical marijuana, the lower the overdose deaths. In California, which has had medical marijuana the longest, there are a third fewer opioid deaths. We are missing an opportunity to build on that.
We are missing the opportunity to increase the hundreds of millions of dollars that are now going to the State tax coffers to deal with education and addiction and law enforcement through State legal efforts and away from the drug cartels and the black market. Indeed, if we clean up this mess, we will have billions of dollars to devote to public purposes and further undermine the strength of drug cartels that use the black market to fund their efforts.
It is past time that Congress steps up and fixes this mess.
The good news is this reckless action by the Trump administration and Jeff Sessions will accelerate the time that we support what State and local governments should do: rationalize our cannabis policy and stop this ineffective, failed prohibition.
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